The Dark (DEVON) // ✔️ // [NEWADULT]

|| Chapter Twenty-Five - Off ||

Devon's POV -

Yes. It was creepy. Me, glaring at Aria's back whilst she made a painful attempt at ignoring me. Shutting me out.

Something happened to her last night. It wasn't a dream.

I'd spent the entirety of the morning training with Harrison in the courtyard, trying to get my strength back so I could find and deal with the spy myself. Unfortunately, big operations like gangs can't just be shut down until the mole has moved on - no, we just have to be more careful now.

I had men trying to track Isaac's whereabouts, men planted in the tree line surrounding the house, men in each and every hallway and I even had men monitoring my members who did the grocery shopping.

It was all a little too convenient. Just as I get even slightly close to Aria, something happens that shakes her up so fucking badly she can't even look at me. She's drifted toward Parker instead.

Of course.

I watched as he put some tea in front of her, "I'm going to my room, if you need anything just knock on my door." I said tonelessly. Parker nodded and Aria smiled - a weak, emotionless smile.

I didn't miss Parker's stare as he watched her mouth quirk upwards.
Dangerous game my friend. Dangerous game indeed.

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   My room was dark, I'd pulled the blackout blind down so that only a small beam of light managed to break through. It hit the wall, illuminating the haphazard masking tape I'd used to previously patch up a safe.

   My dads had encouraged me to have an emotion box - I'd always been prone to outbursts of anger or upset, so they'd bought me an industrial safe. They hadn't asked for the pin, they hadn't asked about what I put in there. They just gave it to me and then pretended like it never happened.

   What safe? My one dad, Andrew, used to say whenever I mentioned it.

   The cardboard plaque was put there to hide it. So I couldn't see it. Couldn't be reminded of all the pain, anguish and guilt I'd hidden inside it. Only one other person had seen inside that safe, and now... now they use it against me whenever they get the chance.

   Trust isn't something that comes easily. To anyone really, but especially not me. Once bitten, twice shy. So to show them my deepest regrets... and then have it thrown back in my face, constantly, hurt.

   I walked over to the plaque, tearing off the tape and slowly removing the board. The rusted metal safe was in front of me. All my feelings came at me at once, pain, guilt, regret, sadness, anger, anguish, love, power...

   I screamed.

   As loud as I could.

  Dropping my head into my hands.

  The shakes racked my entire body as I typed the pin and in and unlocked it. The door swung open almost mockingly and the contents fell out.

   Photos, newspaper clippings, weapons, band aids, letters... everything. And a small, blue velvet box, inside was a ring - dainty and silver with an oval shaped diamond in the centre. My mothers ring - whoever she is. The only thing she left me outside the care home with. The note attached saying, 'I couldn't protect him and I'm sorry.'

   That's all I know about her. That she was a coward and that she gave up. Despite her circumstance. The note reminded me why I protect people, why I fought tooth and claw to be the leader of this gang... so I could protect these people to the very last line: my life.

   My hand drifted over to the newspaper clippings all held together by a pink paper clip. I remember my dads giving me the supplies I needed to keep everything in there in check. By and large they were 100% camp. Girly everything.

   The fondness of their memory was sufficiently squandered by the article underneath.

   'Married Couple Die In Organised Attack Allegedly Arranged By Local Gang'

"The golden dragons." I spat, looking at my left bicep where the dragon tattoo was covered by a serpent.

My eyes burned as I looked at the photo, Andrew and my other dad Bernard. Standing, arm in arm around their son... who they were so proud of... who killed them.

I flicked through the newspapers, coming across a face so resoundingly similar to Aria's it was almost as if a male version of her was staring back at me.

"Local Businessman Trevor Davidson Killed In Organised Dragon Drive-By"

   An image of a man, his family, his child. An orchestrated attack, dated back to when I was just 9 years old. I wasn't part of the dragons then... but I clung to the horror that I eventually was.

   The papers continued, articles on the upcoming "Fire Serpents" Gang hell bent on wiping out the Dragons for good. The carnage that followed our attacks... the innocent people killed.

   Breathing became difficult as I moved onto letters, little things I'd kept as my time in the Dragons had gone on.

   And then... a letter from when my time ended with the Dragons - and I left someone behind.

   "
   My first and forever love,

   I've been failed many times by functions that were supposed to help me. My parents abandoned me, my friends abandoned me, my fellow members abandoned me but never, ever did I expect my first love to.

   You thought with you leaving the torture would stop? You thought they'd just throw me out? Maybe you genuinely did think that, otherwise you would've asked me to join you rather than you packing up and leaving so suddenly.

   Well, no. They just replaced you... with a boy, Isaac. He's nothing like you. He's not gentle, kind, forgiving. But he's building my character - he has a reserve so strong I believe, truly believe, that when he promised me he would never leave me alone like you did... that I will be by his side forever, as his forced lover or comrade.

   Enjoy your new life Devon. I hope it brings you nothing but lessons. Good and bad.

   Forever yours, forever more...

   V."

   My head spun. Every time. Every time I read her note it spins. She isn't who she became. She isn't who she was forced to be. She's living through a facade... for someone else.

   Too much, opening this was too much.

   The suffering, caused by me, suffered by those around me, clawed at my heart...

   Aria, Harrison, Jodi, Joe, Ace, Parker, Kat, Meghan...

They were important.

They were worth paying the ultimate debt for... I'd give my life in an instant for them. All of them. Everyone my presence had ever touched, even Victoria.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and glared at the safe. I knew exactly how I was going to rat out the spy. And I was doing it now.

   Something was about to go off.

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Woopity woop backstory timeeee, I kinda wanted to throw everything together before I forgot about it yano?

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